Has the IDF Published Its Own Footage of Aborted Strikes?
IDF pages have carried aborted-strike video since 11 March 2012; the IDF released Gaza footage on 18 December 2023 and 7 September 2026.
The IDF has published footage of air strikes called off over civilians on its own website since at least 11 March 2012, and it released footage of “recent aborted airstrikes” in Gaza on 18 December 2023, The Times of Israel reported the same day. On 7 September 2026 the IDF released footage of a munition diverted in flight in Gaza the day before, after civilians gathered near the target, Israel Hayom reported. The 18 clips of IDF strike footage supplied to IsraelFact are not among the IDF releases found, and no Israeli publication read here counts strikes aborted since October 2023.
| Figure | What it counts | Who published it | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Earliest year of an IDF web page read here that embeds a video of a strike aborted over civilians | Israel Defense Forces | 11 March 2012 |
| 4 | IDF web pages from 2012 and 2014 read here that describe strikes aborted over civilians, 3 of them with video | Israel Defense Forces | 11 March 2012 to 18 August 2014 |
| 18 December 2023 | Date the IDF released footage of aborted strikes in Gaza in the current war, with its Spokesperson’s statement | Israel Defense Forces, reported by The Times of Israel | 18 December 2023 |
| 6 September 2026 | Date of a strike in Gaza that IDF footage shows diverted in flight after civilians gathered | Israel Defense Forces, reported by Israel Hayom | Released 7 September 2026 |
| 18 | Clips of IDF strike footage supplied to IsraelFact, none of them found among the IDF’s own releases | Israel Defense Forces footage, supplied to IsraelFact | 4 April 2024 to 12 July 2026 |
The IDF’s website carried aborted-strike videos in 2012 and 2014
The IDF published 4 pages on its own website between 2012 and 2014 describing strikes aborted over civilians, 3 of them embedding a video. What each page says its video shows is the IDF’s own description; the videos were not retrieved for this record.
| Date | IDF page | What the IDF says |
|---|---|---|
| 11 March 2012 | Israeli Air Force: Bombing Gaza or Pinpoint Strikes | “Many times strikes have been aborted at the last minute due to last-minute interference, such as civilians coming too close,” then “View an IAF strike aborted at the last minute” |
| 15 November 2012 | How Does the IDF Minimize Harm to Palestinian Civilians? | During Operation Cast Lead in 2008 and 2009 “the IDF aborted many missions seconds before they were to be carried out”; the video is “an example of an IAF airstrike that was called off as the missile was on its way to the target” |
| 16 July 2014 | How is the IDF Minimizing Harm to Civilians in Gaza? | “The following video shows how IAF airstrikes were called off when civilians were identified in the area” |
| 18 August 2014 | How the IDF Gets Real-Time Intel to Abort Strikes | A squadron commander: “If the situation is unclear, the attack will be aborted” |
Source: Israel Defense Forces, idf.il, pages of 11 March 2012, 15 November 2012, 16 July 2014 and 18 August 2014.
The IDF marks the 16 July 2014 page “This article is outdated”. The same page records that on 9 July 2014 people gathered on the roof of a target after a warning shot and “The IAF called off the strike to avoid civilian casualties.”
The IDF released footage of aborted strikes on 18 December 2023
The IDF released footage on 18 December 2023 “showing recent aborted airstrikes in the Gaza Strip due to the presence of civilians,” The Times of Israel reported, with an English-language video statement by the IDF Spokesperson. The Spokesperson stated, as the outlet quoted him: “We abort attacks when we see unexpected civilian presence. We choose the right munition for each target, so it doesn’t cause unnecessary damage.” He said the IDF warns civilians before attacks “whenever possible.”
The report does not state how many strikes the footage showed or when each took place, and neither is given here.
IDF footage shows a munition diverted in flight on 6 September 2026
The IDF released footage on 7 September 2026 of a strike in Gaza on the previous day, Sunday 6 September, Israel Hayom reported. In the outlet’s account of the IDF release, the IDF intended to strike a member of Hamas’s military wing, a gathering of civilians was identified near him during the strike, and because the munition could not be cancelled once released, “הוסט החימוש ממסלולו בזמן אמת על מנת למנוע את הפגיעה באזרחים”: the munition was diverted from its course in real time to prevent harm to the civilians.
The strike fell nearly eleven months into the ceasefire that took effect on 10 October 2025. The IDF’s own post of the footage was not located on idf.il, and the release reached this record through Israel Hayom.
The 18 clips supplied to IsraelFact are not among the releases found
The IDF’s own strike footage supplied to IsraelFact runs to 18 clips dated on screen from 4 April 2024 to 12 July 2026, showing strikes called off in 7, held in 1 and diverted in 10. None of the 18 was found among the IDF releases read for this record, and each is published on IsraelFact as supplied, not as an IDF release.
The IDF’s presentation shows 3 strikes cancelled in the Air Force’s footage
The IDF’s presentation “Process of target attack”, supplied to IsraelFact and not published by the IDF, shows 3 Air Force strikes “cancelled due to the presence of civilians close to the targets,” under the heading “Many strikes were cancelled due to unexpected presence of civilians.” Only the first of the 3 panels carries a date on screen, 14 July 2014.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in its May 2015 report on the 2014 conflict, as its own account of the IDF’s conduct, that “individual pilots exercised their discretion to cancel or delay planned strikes due to the presence of civilians.”
No Israeli publication read here counts strikes aborted since 2023
The IDF and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs describe aborted strikes and publish examples, not totals. Absent from the Israeli publications read here:
- A count of strikes aborted, suspended or diverted since 7 October 2023
- A list of the IDF’s releases of aborted-strike footage, with the number of clips in each
- An IDF release of any of the 18 clips supplied to IsraelFact
Where these figures come from
The 2012 and 2014 pages are the IDF’s own, on idf.il, and describe earlier conflicts; the 16 July 2014 page is marked outdated by the IDF. The 2023 and 2026 releases are the IDF’s, reported by The Times of Israel and Israel Hayom; the footage itself was not retrieved, so what it shows is taken from those reports. The 18 clips and the presentation are the IDF’s own material, supplied to IsraelFact and not published by the IDF. A release shows examples chosen by the IDF and supports no rate of strikes aborted.
Questions readers ask
Has the IDF ever released videos of cancelled strikes?
Yes; IDF pages on idf.il embed videos of strikes aborted over civilians from at least 11 March 2012, and the IDF released such footage from Gaza on 18 December 2023.
When did the IDF first publish aborted-strike footage?
The earliest IDF page read here is dated 11 March 2012 and embeds a video the IDF describes as “an IAF strike aborted at the last minute.”
Did the IDF release aborted-strike footage during the current war?
Yes; the IDF released footage of “recent aborted airstrikes” in Gaza on 18 December 2023, The Times of Israel reported.
Has the IDF shown a munition diverted after launch?
Yes; the IDF released footage on 7 September 2026 of a munition diverted in flight in Gaza the day before, Israel Hayom reported.
Did the diversion on 6 September 2026 happen during the ceasefire?
Yes; the ceasefire took effect on 10 October 2025, nearly eleven months earlier.
What did the IDF Spokesperson say in December 2023?
He said, as The Times of Israel quoted him: “We abort attacks when we see unexpected civilian presence.”
Were the 18 clips on IsraelFact published by the IDF?
No; they are the IDF’s own footage, supplied to IsraelFact, and none was found among the IDF’s releases.
Why is the IDF’s 2014 page marked outdated?
The IDF marks it “This article is outdated” and does not give a reason on the page.
How many strikes has the IDF aborted in Gaza since 2023?
No Israeli publication read here gives a count; the IDF releases examples.
Did Israeli pilots cancel strikes in 2014?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that in 2014 “individual pilots exercised their discretion to cancel or delay planned strikes due to the presence of civilians.”
Where can the IDF’s own footage be seen?
IDF pages on idf.il from 2012 and 2014 embed videos, and the 2023 and 2026 releases were carried by The Times of Israel and Israel Hayom.
Sources
- Israel Defense Forces, 2012. Israeli Air Force: Bombing Gaza or Pinpoint Strikes. IDF Editorial Team, dated 11 March 2012. idf.il. Official or primary record, the IDF’s own published page.
- Israel Defense Forces, 2012. How Does the IDF Minimize Harm to Palestinian Civilians? IDF Editorial Team, dated 15 November 2012. idf.il. Official or primary record, the IDF’s own published page.
- Israel Defense Forces, 2014. How is the IDF Minimizing Harm to Civilians in Gaza? IDF Spokesperson, dated 16 July 2014, marked outdated by the IDF. idf.il. Official or primary record, the IDF’s own published page.
- Israel Defense Forces, 2014. How the IDF Gets Real-Time Intel to Abort Strikes. IDF Editorial Team, dated 18 August 2014. idf.il. Official or primary record, the IDF’s own published page.
- Israel Defense Forces, 2024 to 2026. Footage of strikes called off, held or diverted, eighteen clips, on-screen dates 4 April 2024 to 12 July 2026. Supplied to IsraelFact; not published by the IDF. The IDF’s own footage.
- Israel Defense Forces, 2026. “Process of target attack”, a presentation on targeting and civilians, slide 17. Supplied to IsraelFact; not published by the IDF. The IDF’s own account of its procedure.
- Israel Hayom, 2026. The IDF diverted a munition in the Gaza Strip to prevent harm to civilians. 7 September 2026. israelhayom.co.il. Israeli press relaying an IDF release.
- Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2015. The 2014 Gaza Conflict: Factual and Legal Aspects, Chapter VI: IDF Conduct of Operations During the 2014 Gaza Conflict. Dated May 2015, released 14 June 2015. gov.il. Official or primary record, a party’s own account of its own conduct.
- The Times of Israel, 2023. IDF releases videos of airstrikes aborted due to presence of civilians. 18 December 2023. timesofisrael.com. Israeli press relaying an IDF release.
